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Del Bosque not prepared to risk Costa

Vicente Del Bosque was not prepared to risk Spain striker Diego Costa despite his goal for Chelsea against Sunderland on Sunday.

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Written ByAlex Fisher

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Diego Costa may have made a goalscoring return for Chelsea last
weekend but Vicente Del Bosque is not prepared to risk him for
Spain.

The striker has been hampered by injuries throughout the season
- his international opportunities limited as Chelsea focused on
getting him fit for the league.

A first-half penalty in the 3-1 win over Sunderland took him to
20 league goals for the champions but Del Bosque is keen to give
him time to rest, rather than push him into games with Costa Rica
and Belarus.

"[The absence of] Diego Costa is not an isolated issue," said
the Spain head coach. "He's in the process of overcoming muscle
discomfort and we can't afford to experiment with him.

"We saw that he wasn't in top condition, so you shouldn't raise
doubts about his absence. I considered bringing him."

Del Bosque also explained that Bayern Munich's Thiago Alcantara
had been omitted for similar reasons, but Cesc Fabregas has been
included after assurances over his fitness from Chelsea.

He added: "We've been in contact with Thiago Alcantara. He
wanted to join [the squad], but he has a slight muscle strain
that's being treated in Barcelona.

"It was best not to force [his inclusion], but we're counting on
him.

"We've had a problem with Cesc as he needs a nose operation, but
we've included him similarly to [Sergio] Ramos. We have guarantees
that they'll be ready for June."